The T20 Dream Team

Over the six weeks that the second edition of the Indian Premier League held audiences captive, one got to see lots of electrifying cricket, plenty of breath-taking performances and lots of exciting talent.

Less than a fortnight after the completion of the six-week extravaganza in Rainbow Nation, most of the players who featured in the IPL will once again take the field – but this time in a different setting – in England, and this time donning their national colours. Yes, we’re talking about the ICC World Twenty20 2009 – the twelve-nation competition due to begin on June 5, 2009 across three different venues in England.

In our build up to the ICC World Twenty20 2009, and keeping in mind some of the top performers we saw during the just-concluded IPL, we build our Dream-Team from the IPL – limited to players who will be seen during the World T20.

Here’s our Dream Team:

Opening Batsmen: Chris Gayle and Ravi Bopara

West Indies captain Chris Gayle in action during the IPL in South Africa © AFP

Gayle: Perhaps one of the most destructive batsmen to bowl to in international cricket currently. He had a mixed IPL – blowing hot at certain times but falling to some reckless shots on most other occasions. Having already spent a lot of time in England in the run-up to the World Twenty20, Gayle can certainly be expected to demolish the morale of a few bowlers in the tournament. Remember, he is the only player to have scored a century in Twenty20 Internationals till date.

Performance in the IPL: 236 runs in nine innings at the top of the line-up at a strike rate of 124.

Bopara: Not a regular opener for his country or for his county side, but Bopara took to the task of opening the batting for Kings XI Punjab like fish take to water. Equipped to handle the new ball and play the conservative way if the situation demands, Bopara is also capable of playing the typical-T20-kind-of innings – just look back to his 84 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Durban. One facet of his that almost went unutilized in the IPL was his bowling – he bowls brisk stump-to-stump medium-pace, and with tracks in England expected to provide a little assistance to the quicks, Bopara’s bowling too could come to the fore.

Performance in the IPL: 140 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 114.75.

#3: Suresh Raina
If there’s one player who made the most of the IPL 2009, it has to be Suresh Raina –who former India coach Greg Chappell had referred to as ‘The Left-handed Sachin Tendulkar’. The perfect number three batsman in limited overs cricket, Raina is just as equipped at playing the conservative brand of cricket as he is at playing those explosive shots needed to excel in limited overs cricket. And no, he doesn’t have to slog it hard or play across the line – finding gaps comes naturally to him. An excellent fielder and catcher, his off-spin bowling – combined with shrewd thinking, makes him a complete cricketer.

Performance in the IPL: 434 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 140.50.

#4: David Hussey

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara (right) is blessed by a Buddhist monk in Colombo on May 28. © AFP

A late addition to the Kolkata Knight Riders team in IPL-Season II, but what an impact he made in the little time he was with the team.

He made two vital contributions in his first two outings – 43 off 27 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and then yet another 43 – but this time off 17 balls only against eventual title winners Deccan Chargers. Known to be a limited overs specialist, David is the second-highest run getter in Twenty20 cricket (only behind Brad Hodge).

#5: Kumar Sangakkara
Brilliant knocks more often than times when he struggled to get the ball off the square means Kumar Sangakkara - the new Sri Lankan captain – had a decent tournament. He was mostly fluent with the bat – as he has always been, but on days when he found the going a little tough, he was ready to gut it out in the middle – playing scratchily upfront but accelerating at just the right time.

Performance in the IPL: 332 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 102.47.

#6: Ross Taylor

Ross Taylor (left) holds the key for New Zealand © AFP

The phrase ‘Looks can be deceiving’ fits perfectly well with Ross Taylor. Known to be a player who plays cricket the traditional way – although he had a century against his name prior to the IPL – Taylor was one of the key performers for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their journey to the final of IPL Season-II. After a poor start to the tournament, Taylor came into his own in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, when he scored an unbeaten 81 off just 33 balls. With the Royal Challengers having their backs to the wall, it needed a superlative performance and Taylor came up with just that. Watch out for the Cow-Corner, which is his favourite scoring area.

Performance in the IPL: 280 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 134.62.

#7: Roeolf van der Merwe
One of the younger players to have emerged with an enhanced reputation after the IPL. Little-known van der Merwe oozes with energy at all times – when equipped with the bat, he can send bowlers on a leather-hunt, with a ball in hand he can bowl tidy left-arm spin and often pick up wickets, and when he is on the field, it’s hard to keep him out of action – he’s in the thick of things pulling off some brilliant saves or taking some astounding catches.

Performance in the IPL: 122 runs in 10 matches at a strike rate of 124.49 and 9 wickets at an economy rate of 7.29

#8: Fidel Edwards
They say fast bowlers bring so much to the game – how true that is with Fidel Edwards. Even if he doesn’t fit into the profile of the legendary West Indian fast bowlers, who used to deliver from close to eight feet, Edwards – despite being short, has proven he can be a captain’s delight. Despite being around in the international circuit for more than six years now, Edwards will agree that his four-week stint with the Deccan Chargers enhanced his reputation by a great extent. Here was a fast bowler steaming in, ready to let go – irrespective of who the batsman at the other end was, and that was a sight to see.

Statistics don’t do justice to his performance – they will say he only picked up five wickets in six matches – but he was certainly a great value to his team. It would be wise to expect more from him in more seamer-friendly conditions in England.

#9: Pragyan Ojha
In a format where bowlers in general are treated with utter disdain, and spin bowlers in particular are considered easy targets, Pragyan Ojha outdid several other experienced hands in the business and became one of the best spin bowlers in the tournament. He started off with a bang – picking up eight wickets in his first four outings, but them mellowed down slightly. An injury hampered his momentum as well, but he was once again back in business in the latter half of the tournament.

He wasn’t afraid to flight the ball, and used the change of pace to good effect. Most of his wickets in IPL 2009 were big names in the business – Kevin Pietersen, Sachin Tendulkar, JP Duminy, MS Dhoni, Matthew Hayden and Rahul Dravid – just to name a few. It will be surprising if he isn’t India’s first-choice spinner in the World T20 – especially considering Harbhajan Singh wasn’t that effective in the IPL.

Performance in the IPL: 18 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 6.50.

#10: RP Singh

IPL Purple Cap winner RP Singh makes a comeback to the Indian side © AFP

RP Singh was always on the radar of the Indian selectors and only needed a platform to work his way back to the Indian team. And with the world – and not just the Indian selectors glued to the IPL – RP Singh made the most of the opportunity, finished with the Purple Cap – awarded to the leading wicket-taker in the tournament – and earned himself a place in the Indian team for the ICC World Twenty20.

Consistent throughout the tournament, RP Singh is a good exponent of using the white ball, and can bowl equally well at the start of the innings and at the death. He is limited in terms of variety – but he more than makes up for that with his change of pace and the change of length.

Performance in the IPL: 23 wickets in 16 matches at an economy rate of 6.99

#11: Lasith Malinga

Despite coming into the tournament having just recovered from an injury that kept him out of action for close to twelve months, Lasith Malinga was just as lethal as he was prior to the injury. His unusual action, combined with good pace, made him too hot for batsmen to handle. He was good at dishing out those toe-crushers with amazing regularity; nine of his 18 victims were dismissed bowled, while two others had their pad as their first-line of defence and were dismissed leg before wicket.

Performance in the IPL: 18 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 6.30

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The event which is set to break all records for cricket TV ratings kicks off on June 5. Stay tuned to cricketnirvana.com for unparalleled coverage and EXCLUSIVE columns by Javagal Srinath, Mickey Arthur, Damien Fleming and former India captain Anil Kumble.